Life Goes On
by Ria Jellyfish
Summary: Two years since everything took a turn for the worse and Mondo isn't doing so well. That is, until a certain someone comes back into his life and he realises just how much they mean to him. Now not only does he now have to deal with this, but a new face is thrown into the mix, making things even more complicated than they were before. Cross-posted on AO3.
1. Familiarity

Two years.

Two years since Mondo started living by himself, since he had to teach himself how to cook, since he started collecting discount coupons for his local supermarket like a little old lady, since he started having to put money aside every time he got paid to make the rent at the end of the month.

Two years... Give or take a few days.

Christ, he felt old.

Kuwata had insisted they celebrate the occasion with a round of drinks... at some insanely expensive place on the other side of the city. Souda, at least, had the sense to reschedule it as a meetup at a bar a short walk away from his place. It wasn't too far, but Mondo still struggled to find the motivation.

Part of him wanted to stay curled up in his futon all day. He had the next few days off so it wasn't like he had anywhere he had to be. The idea would be much more appealing if he wasn't wasting away in his sheets. It was the final push to get him dressed and out the door.

He wouldn't call Kuwata and Souda 'friends,' per se. They were drinking buddies at best, and a pair of assholes he could punch in the face at worst. Souda was slightly easier to get along with, mostly because he had more than one conversation topic ready and wasn't desperately pretending he was straight. Kuwata sure as hell wasn't fooling anyone with his constant girl talk.

They were all perched in a booth in the corner, Souda finishing off his fourth beer while Kuwata was wobbling after his third. Mondo was still only on his first, mostly so he wouldn't have to dig too far into his wallet when they finished up.

He was trying to look as inconspicuous as possible so he could just get this over with and go home. It didn't help that Kuwata was talking far too loudly and drawing far too much attention.

Mondo could've been doing a million other things that would've been way more productive but instead he was stuck listening to Kuwata ramble on about the new girl he had his eye on. Mondo was pretty sure that neither he, nor Souda would ever meet her and he doubted they ever would.

"Seriously, I'd go for it if she didn't put on this weird lovey-dovey act whenever she's around Naegi. And he's totally oblivious to it! It's like he doesn't care that she's basically throwing herself at him."

"She might not even be into him, it might just be how she acts around her friends," Souda offered weakly. Kuwata narrowed his eyes.

"Oh yeah, what, like how you're basically ready to suck your furry boyfriend's dick whenever you see him. But nah, you guys are just _good friends_."

"He's not a furry, would you drop that?!"

"Oh, so you don't deny the rest of it?"

"H-Hey, shut up! C'mon, Oowada, help me out here!"

Mondo honestly wasn't paying attention. It was an excuse to get out of bed, he told himself, an excuse to go out on a Friday night rather than staying inside all by himself. The music and chatter from the patrons was already giving him a headache. He was regretting this decision more and more every second.

"Hey, Oowada, you okay?" Souda asked, "You look kinda sick."

"'m tired," Mondo grumbled, rubbing a hand over his face and glancing away. Souda wasn't convinced.

"Nah, you look like you're about to hurl."

"Yeah," Kuwata piped up, "if you're gonna be sick, at least do it on Souda."

"What the hell, man? That's just gross."

"But it'd be funny," Kuwata offered. Souda rolled his eyes and glanced back to Mondo.

"Seriously though, you might wanna go home or something."

Kuwata scowled. "He can't go home, then there wouldn't be any point of us bein' out here," he slurred.

"I'm not sick," Mondo grumbled.

"You sure? You look like shit, honestly," Kuwata said, not so much concerned, more stating the facts.

"Gee, thanks."

"Why the heck are you so grumpy? C'mon, at least pretend to be happy. You're killing my buzz."

Souda gave him a look. "Don't be an ass, let him be grumpy if he wants to be..." and then to Mondo, "Mister Grumpy Gills."

A snort came from Kuwata. "Whatever..." he muttered, then turned his attention towards the bar. Two women were sat on the end closest to them, a redhead in a cardigan and a blonde with pigtails in a sundress, giggling together over a pair of cocktails. Kuwata had been spying on them all evening. Mondo vaguely recognised them from their past few visits. They would come in, turn down any extra company, and then wobble out the door together at the end of the night.

"What do ya think? I bet I can get them to come over," he said with a lazy grin.

"No way man, you'll get shot down the second you get up," Souda warned, but Kuwata was already halfway across the room.

He leaned on the bar beside them and both women visibly tensed. Mondo could barely hear their conversation over the noise.

"You come here often?"

"Um, can we help you?" The redhead asked with a nervous smile. The blonde had a look of murder in her eyes.

"Go away. You're stupid and ugly," she spat. The redhead looked horrified.

"Hiyoko, please-"

"We're not interested. You're creepy and you smell bad."

"I'm sorry about her, she doesn't mean it-"

"Yes, I do. Get lost."

Kuwata was devastated, trudging back over to the booth and dropping down beside Souda, who was trying his best not to start laughing.

"That was tragic," he said, patting his shoulder as a meek attempt at comfort.

"I'm struck silent by how quickly you gave up," Mondo said.

Kuwata suddenly sat up, knocking his hand away and grinning as if nothing had happened. "I'll try again later when they've had a few more. We'll have to find one more for Mondo, don't want him to be left out."

"Who said either of us wanted to sleep with anyone tonight?"

"Oh yeah, that's right, your tastes are more fluffy, aren't they?"

"I swear to God if you bring him up again I'll-"

"I'm good," Mondo said, finishing off his beer and pushing up to his feet.

"Where are you going?" Kuwata said with a raised eyebrow.

"Home, I'm too tired. You guys do whatever." Mondo left the money for his drink and shoved his hands in his pockets, lumbering away and ignoring whatever Kuwata yelled after him.

Why did he even bother? Everything was such a chore. Everything was too difficult. He didn't want to try anymore. What was the point when nothing ever changed? Every day, get up, get dressed, go to work, go home, have the same goddamn dinner every goddamn night, and go to bed to do it all over again tomorrow. He was sick of it.

He stopped and shook his head.

No, he wasn't going to get stuck in this ditch of self-pity again. He'd already been through it and didn't feel like going back.

* * *

The next morning he checked his phone to find three missed calls from Souda and one from Kuwata. He deleted the voicemails. He didn't eat breakfast, didn't have the energy to make himself anything. He left the house and went for a wander. Just to clear his head, he told himself.

He could really go for a coffee. He didn't give a shit if it tasted like dishwater, he needed a caffeine fix.

The first place he could find was a pretty modern looking little café on a street corner. It looked as if it were built yesterday and the smell of fresh cakes filtered through the window.

As he opened the door to enter, he felt it collide with a small weight and heard a heavy thud on the other side. The door had smacked right into whoever was stood there.

He opened it fully to see the person on the ground, rubbing their forehead and attempting to hold back tears. He didn't think he'd put _that_ much force into it, but maybe it was because of how small they were.

It took him a few seconds to snap out of his haze before he held out a hand to the person.

"Awh crap, are you okay?"

They took it after a moment of hesitation.

"Y-Yes, sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

"Nah, don't worry about it."

He yanked them to their feet with little effort. It was only then that he got a good look at them.

They were most likely not much taller than five feet. Their features were soft and round, almost chubby, and dotted with light freckles. Even their hair was styled in such a way that it could suit any gender. It was almost impossible to tell their gender just by looking at them.

But Mondo recognised him instantly.

"Chihiro?"

The boy blinked a few times before his eyes lit up.

"Mondo!"

* * *

Neither of them were doing much, so they decided to get a table by the window and catch up. Chihiro had a monstrous piece of sponge cake while Mondo tried to fight through the bitterest coffee he'd ever had.

"Is it drinkable yet?" Chihiro asked as Mondo added a fourth sugar. He took a swig and shook his head.

"Nah, not yet."

"Seriously? Damn, I can't believe this is how it ends. Death by caffeine overdose. Not a great way to go."

Of the few friends Mondo had made in his life, Chihiro was possibly one of the only ones he truly valued. The two had met in middle school when they were paired together for a project and were rarely apart until Chihiro went off to university.

He hadn't changed much since then. He was a little taller and his face was a little more angular with a little more hair, but other than that he was almost exactly the same. He had the same smile, the same gentle voice. He could still probably pass for a girl if he wore a skirt.

"I want to get back into wearing them but..." he shrugged and fussed with the thin fabric of his blouse, "I mean, I still have so many, it seems like a waste to not wear half my wardrobe, you know?"

Mondo hummed. Chihiro shook his head.

"I'm sorry, was I boring you? It's probably not that interesting to hear me talk about skirts and stuff."

"Nah, it's fine. It's nice hearing you ramble. Makes it feel like we're little kids again."

Chihiro nodded. "It feels like it was only yesterday..." he mumbled, taking a bite from his cake, chewing slowly to savour the taste, "... that you were almost the same height as I am now."

"Still haven't reached your growth spurt?"

"I have, believe it or not!"

Mondo snorted. "Awh, I can't believe you're a gremlin."

"Come down here and fight me," Chihiro grumbled, narrowing his eyes.

"Who said that? Speak up, you're too small."

Chihiro laughed and leaned across the table to flick his nose. "Ha, ha, very funny. At least I didn't think it was super cool to have a pompadour for five years."

"It was _six_ years, actually. If you're gonna insult younger me's fashion sense, at least get the time frame right."

"That's even worse! Six years with that thing in your face, no wonder you never had a girlfriend."

"... Low blow, man."

Chihiro grinned and leaned back, watching Mondo for a few seconds before he spoke again, "Your new hair looks pretty good though, to be fair."

Mondo's hand drifted up to his hair, tied back in a loose ponytail, and shrugged. "Yeah well, most people don't want a kid with gangster hair making their furniture."

"That's fair. How about the tattoos? They're only tiny so they should be okay, right? Unless you got some new ones you haven't told me about."

"Gotta keep 'em covered up when I'm in the shop. It's hell this time of year."

"I can imagine!" Chihiro ate another forkful of cake and rested his head on his hand. He smiled to himself, then directed it to Mondo. "But you're happy there, right?"

"Hell yeah! The old man who runs the place is way too nice for his own good, but other than that, it's pretty great."

"So you've... bounced back alright? From... you know..." Chihiro trailed off, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

Mondo stared down at his coffee, tapping the side with his dull fingernails. "I guess... I mean, I think I'm doin' okay. Apartment's not too shitty, job pays pretty well..." He took a gulp from his mug. "Can't complain."

Chihiro didn't look too convinced, but said nothing.

"How's stuff been with you, anyway?"

"Nothing that interesting... I'm on a computer science course but you already knew that..." Chihiro played with his fork for a few seconds before suddenly perking up. "Oh yeah! I'll have to introduce you to my roommate. He's super nice! He helps me keep on top of all my work and stuff. You two are actually kinda similar... You'd probably get on pretty well."

"There's always a catch though." Mondo took a gulp of his coffee, winced at the taste, and added another sugar. "Does he jerk it every night or something?"

Chihiro screwed his face up in disgust. "If he does, he's very good at keeping quiet."

"Or maybe he gets off to someone else being in the room. I'll have to ask when I meet him."

"Ew, no way! Don't you dare!"

As Chihiro laughed, Mondo found himself strangely at peace for the first time in years. He'd missed having a real connection with someone. Maybe he was so starved for affection that he'd take whatever was handed to him, but the way Chihiro smiled convinced him that it had to be more than that.

"Hey, Chi, I've really mi-"

A high pitched chime cut him off as Chihiro's hand shot to his pocket for his phone.

"I'm gonna be late for my English class!" He squeaked.

He stumbled to his feet, dumping some loose change onto the table. He scribbled something onto a napkin and handed it to Mondo.

"Sorry we had to cut this short but we can hang out some other time, right? I wrote down my phone number, so..."

"Huh? Yeah, sure, that's cool," he said, trying not to sound too disappointed at his sudden departure.

"Great!" Chihiro beamed, rounding the table to squeeze Mondo in a quick, tight hug, "Let's meet up here again tomorrow, okay?"

And with that, Chihiro turned and scurried to the door and outside into the humid afternoon air. He didn't look back.

* * *

A/N: Cross-posted from my AO3 account because apparently people still use this website? I haven't been on here in forever so *shrug emoji*

Read the AO3 version here: /works/7941193

I try to update every Friday but school is such a butt that I'm not 100% sure if I'll manage it.

Thanks for reading. :D

\- Ria -


	2. Fresh Face

For the first time in months, Mondo found himself eager to get out of bed.

Chihiro was already at the café the next day, the table covered with bits of paper. He quickly cleared Mondo's side as he sat down.

"Teacher gave me a ton of homework so I'm trying to get two weeks' worth of homework done in one afternoon."

"So long as you don't pass out. I don't wanna carry you back."

"That might be hard. I haven't slept in three days."

"Why the hell not?"

Chihiro glanced back down to his papers and continued to write. "Because when I get back, me and my roommate trade English notes. He can do all the speaking and listening fine but he can't get his head around the reading and writing. I'm the complete opposite so he helps me practise. And then I get distracted by personal programming projects so I don't end up going to bed until, like, one am."

"So? You said most of your lessons don't start until the afternoon, right? Can't you sleep in?"

"Nah, my roommate wakes up at six every morning to do radio calisthenics."

"You're kidding."

"Nope. He says he hasn't missed it in seven years. I tried it once but I don't have that kind of energy that early in the morning."

"Maybe you would if you went to bed earlier."

An offended gasp escaped him. "How dare you!" Chihiro tried to hold his scowl but he soon dissolved into giggles. Mondo found himself falling in love with the sound immediately. Not in a weird way. No, not at all.

* * *

Most days, after he'd finished his work and Chihiro had finished his classes, Mondo found himself in the same café, attempting to drink the same bitter coffee while Chihiro chattered away about his day or various stories about his roommate.

"The very first thing he did after arriving was yell at people for running in the halls. That didn't make him any friends," Chihiro said, pausing for a moment to figure out a particularly difficult problem before continuing, "People started to leave horrible notes on our room slate. He stopped rubbing them out after a while so I had to do it instead. That's how I found out they were doing it in the first place."

"He didn't care?"

"He tries not to let other people get to him. I respect him for that. If it were me I would've left months ago. Especially after..." he trailed off. Mondo frowned in confusion.

"After what?"

"Someone left a dead bird outside our door," Chihiro said simply, as if he were commenting on the weather, "we had to clean it up ourselves. He told me I should move if I didn't want to get messed with for hanging out with him, but I refused." A look of determination crossed his features. "I couldn't leave him to face it alone."

"Shit man, that's so fucked up. Why the hell didn't the school do anything?"

"We never found out who did it. I think it was Samashiwa, but my roommate won't let me go after him."

Mondo snorted. Chihiro scowled at the sound.

"What?"

"Never thought I'd hear you say something like that."

"What do you mean?"

"You saying you're gonna beat someone up but being totally serious about it."

Chihiro smiled slightly. "I took a self-defence course last spring. Most of the guys in our dorm don't know how to throw a proper punch so I could probably take down most of them without even trying that hard."

Mondo let out a harsh bark of a laugh. "Remind me to never fight you."

"Just don't get me too angry and we'll be fine."

Chihiro glanced to his watch and sighed, pushing to his feet.

"It's that time again."

Mondo frowned and checked the wall clock. "Shit! I have work in, like, ten minutes!" He shot up so fast that he almost fell over. He tripped over himself running to the door, pausing for a moment as Chihiro shouted after him.

"Same time tomorrow?"

"Yeah, sure!"

* * *

Akamokuzai Furniture had been making various pieces of mediocre quality for generations. Mondo was the next in a long line of kids looking for training that they couldn't get anywhere else. Despite the negativity swirling around the position, Mondo enjoyed working there.

The store was run by the elderly Owari couple and their daughter, an aspiring gymnast who had no interest in continuing the family business. He rarely saw her but when she did appear she was always friendly and actually looked happy to see him. He thought Akane was her first name, but their conversations were so sparse that he wasn't certain.

This particular evening she was hanging about in the back as Mondo carved a delicate design into a table leg, humming a cheery pop song he'd heard on the train. Owari was doing push-ups, occasionally stopping to get to her feet for some stretches before she went to sit-ups and repeated the pattern. Mondo had tuned it out when she suddenly spoke up.

"You sound happy," she said with a smirk, "did you get a girlfriend?"

Mondo went red, furiously shaking his head. "No way!"

"Boyfriend?"

"What? No!"

She held up both hands in surrender. "Alright, alright! Just asking, jeez." She went back to stretching. "I wouldn't judge you if you did, ya know."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I'd tell you anyway."

A mischievous glint flashed across her eyes. "Ooooh, so you _do_ have a boyfriend!"

He rolled his eyes and went back to work. "Shut up. It's nothing that exciting."

"Then what is it? Reunited with a childhood sweetheart?"

"Close. He was never a sweetheart."

Owari nodded, letting out a loud yawn. "But this is when you start chatting and realise it was always meant to be."

He was seriously considering hurling a tool at her when his boss wobbled in on an old wooden cane.

"Akane," Mr Owari said in a gruff yet somehow gentle voice, "could you run the counter until closing time?"

She looked indecisive for a moment before she nodded and plodded away. Mr Owari turned his attention to Mondo and offered a kind smile.

"You've been working hard today," he said, "you can head home."

"Are you sure? I don't mind sticking around."

"No, no, it's alright. Though, there is something I'd like you to do before your next shift."

Mondo pushed up to his feet and tilted his head to one side. "What do ya need?"

"I'd like you to read a manual. Nothing too specific but..." He sighed, leaning against his cane. "With my age, there are a few things I cannot teach you practically. I hope it is not too much trouble."

"Sure, that's fine, I'll find something."

"Ah, marvellous," Mr Owari chuckled, hobbling across the room as he continued, "Well, I shall see you next week."

* * *

Mondo got back home by seven, picking a stray splinter he had missed earlier from his thumb in the bathroom. The tiny, old TV was playing in the other room, playing as background noise. He hated silence, it only served as a reminder that he was alone.

His inoffensive, default ringtone blared over the news announcer's disinterested voice. He would've ignored it if he hadn't seen Chihiro's name on the caller ID.

"Sorry, I know it's kinda late, but I've gotta do some studying tomorrow for a surprise English test so I'm gonna have to cancel on you," he said, his voice quivering down the receiver. Mondo faltered, but was thankful that Chihiro couldn't see his expression fall.

"Whatever, these things happen."

"I feel really bad about letting you down though..."

"It's cool. I gotta find a book for work anyway."

"What do you mean?"

Mondo briefly explained the situation. Chihiro made a soft hum of understanding.

"Maybe... maybe you could come with me to the school library? We want to hang out, I need to study, and you need the right kind of book so that's, like, three birds with one stone!"

"You sure we'll find one?"

"They've got _everything_ in there. I'm sure there'll be at least one book on carpentry in there. If we can't find one, we'll ask them to get it in! I'm sure we can-"

Mondo stared up at the ceiling, lips twitching into a weak but genuine smile as Chihiro chattered down the line. The campus was a good half-hour walk and he was slightly reluctant to attempt the trek. He wasn't sure if he had the energy but listening to Chihiro's excited rambling... He couldn't refuse.

"Alright, when do you wanna meet up?"

* * *

 _"Why aren't you at school?"_

 _"School's stupid."_

 _"How are you gonna get a job if you don't go to school?"_

 _"I'll do odd jobs. Mow people's lawns and wash their cars and stuff."_

 _"Is that really what you wanna do with your life?"_

 _"... Not really."_

 _"Exactly. So you gotta go."_

 _"Fine..."_

 _"Come on, we'll break a few speed limits and get you there before your first lesson starts."_

 _"Daiya?"_

 _"Yeah?"_

 _"Thanks."_

* * *

It was raining the next morning. It wasn't particularly heavy, but the humid air meant wearing a coat was more trouble than it was worth.

Mondo got dressed, skipped breakfast, and headed out, following Chihiro's texted directions to his dormitory. The walk wasn't too far and he was honestly surprised that they hadn't run into each other any sooner given how close they were.

The dormitory was located at the top of a small hill, surrounded by various stores and office buildings on every side. A tall camphor tree stood outside the gate, shielding it and the nearby pavement from the rain.

As soon as he walked inside, he was hit by the overwhelming stench of community living that made him thankful that he lived alone. The lobby was basic, with only a few tables and chairs, a line of vending machines up against one wall, and an old TV up in one corner surrounded by tattered sofas. A few young men were sat around one of the tables, playing cards.

Mondo approached them and asked where he could find Chihiro's room.

"Who's Fujisaki?" The man in a red polo shirt asked.

"The one who shares a room with Ishimaru," The one in the dress shirt said.

"Oh yeah, poor bastard," Red polo shirt shook his head. He turned back to Mondo. "Yeah, up the stairs on the right. Floor 2, room 14."

Mondo nodded in thanks and followed the directions. Damp clothes were strung over the stairwell in a drying rack that was apparently used by every person in the building. It reeked of sweat and tobacco. A pair of men not much older than Mondo were hanging about at the entrance to the first floor dorms, smoking and using a crushed soda can as an ashtray.

The hallway was a little cleaner, excluding a roll of toilet paper that had apparently exploded about halfway down and the occasional bottle or empty can lying on the lumpy carpeted floor.

Each door had a bronze number and a small whiteboard screwed on with a pen attached by a line of string. Most of them had small doodles of animals or, since this was the boys' dorms, badly drawn penises. Some had messages scribbled across them, ranging from 'good luck on your test' to 'remember to buy more milk.'

He soon reached Chihiro's room and frowned at the door. While the odd few boards had joking jabs or playful banter, this board was much harsher and downright cruel.

' _No one wants you here_ ,' ' _fuck off already_ ,' ' _go jump in front of a train_.' All of them were presumably directed at Chihiro's roommate. Mondo rubbed them all out with his sleeve and knocked on the door.

It only took a few seconds of waiting before the door swung open. Chihiro's hair was pushed back out of his face with a hairband, still damp from his morning shower. He was being swallowed by a dark green hoodie that seemed much too thick given the temperature.

"Sorry, I was grabbing the last of my papers. You can sit on the bed while you wait. Top bunk is his, bottom bunk's mine. You don't have to take off your shoes if you don't want to."

The room was small, though it felt more cosy than cramped. The walls were painted a calm cream colour with dark wood flooring. The window was large, but designed so that he could only open a small crack, the blinds pulled a quarter of the way up. Mondo had passed a sign indicating a communal shower block on the ground floor so wasn't surprised at the lack of bathroom. There was a bunkbed, a low table with a cushion flanking each side, and a tiny kitchen that could barely hold one person.

"The kitchen is off limits to me after I burnt some mackerel and we couldn't get rid of the smell for weeks," Chihiro said when he spotted Mondo checking it out, "my roommate does all the cooking now. He's pretty good though, to be fair."

It was much cleaner than the rest of the dorm. In fact, it had the sanitation of a hospital. There wasn't a speck of dust to be seen in the entire room. If it weren't for the few personal items, Mondo would've sworn that the room hadn't been lived in since it was built.

On the wall by the bunkbed, Chihiro had put up various photos and posters. Mondo assumed his roommate had put up some photos of his own on his bunk, but couldn't see them from this angle. A small stuffed rabbit sat on the desk. It was missing an eye, but it was generously loved by time as it was completely whole otherwise. A small, outdated radio sat beside it. The antennae was bent but still functional.

Chihiro stuffed a notepad and a few scraps of paper into a messenger bag, then slung it over one shoulder.

"Alright, ready to go!"

They took the subway to a part of the city Mondo was unfamiliar with. He trailed closely by Chihiro's side, but his companion didn't seem to mind too much. The rain was starting to let up, as was the humidity, so the walk from the station to the campus wasn't too painful.

"Um, I forgot to mention," Chihiro said as they neared their destination, "you're not allowed in the library if you're not a student."

Mondo frowned. "How am I gonna get in then?"

"I know a back entrance we can use. It just means if a faculty member comes over you have to run and hide before they ask for your ID."

"Sounds easy enough," Mondo said with a shrug.

They slipped in through a fire exit at the back of the library and set up at a table close by in case Mondo needed to flee from questioning staff. Chihiro took out his papers and started to work through them, jotting down repeating English sentences as practise on a blank piece of paper.

The library was modern and simple, modestly sized with signs directing to each section making it impossible to get lost. It was mostly non-fiction, with only four or five shelves dedicated to fiction books. Mondo easily found the books he needed in the neat, well-kept shelves and returned to the table.

They had been settled for only a few minutes when a young man entered through the main doors, scanned the room, and came over to the table. He was only a little shorter than Mondo, with pale skin, red eyes, dark hair, and the largest eyebrows he had ever seen. He wore a white dress shirt and black pants, a satchel hanging over one shoulder. Most notably, he had a large, flowery gauze pad on his left cheek.

Chihiro smiled as he approached, though it was weak, almost sad. "How was your lecture?"

"Very informative!" the man said, much louder than necessary. Chihiro winced slightly at the volume. The man immediately lowered his voice. "I was shouting again, wasn't I? I'm sorry, Chi- Fujisaki-kun."

"You're getting better," Chihiro giggled, "You _can_ call me Chihiro, it's okay."

"Yes, yes, I know, it just feels bizarre-"

Mondo interrupted before he could stop himself, "What happened to your face?"

The man instinctively raised a hand to his injured cheek, but he dropped it a few moments later. He looked at Mondo and frowned slightly. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

Chihiro tensed as he glanced between the two and quickly cleared his throat.

"Um, Kiyotaka, this is Mondo Oowada, a friend of mine. Mondo, this is Kiyotaka Ishimaru, my roommate."

Mondo raised a hand to wave. "Yo."

"Good afternoon," Ishimaru said slowly. He turned to Chihiro. "Is he a student here?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Then he is not allowed to be in here. May I remind you that this is a student-only library, Fujisaki-kun."

"It'll only be this one time. He works as a carpenter, you see, and he needed-"

"He is still not allowed in here. It is against the rules, Fujisaki-kun."

Chihiro deflated and looked down at his lap, fussing with the page of his notebook. Mondo scowled.

"Hey man, it's not his fault, don't give him shit for it. It ain't that big of a deal anyway, Ishi."

Ishimaru looked at Mondo as if he had just suggested he remove all his clothes and take a dump on the table. "I would appreciate it if you used my full name, Oowada-kun."

"Yeah? And I'd appreciate it if you weren't an ass to Chihiro, but we don't always get what we want, eh?"

"I wasn't-!"

"Guys, please, keep your voices down," Chihiro shushed, placing a hand on Ishimaru's arm, "please Kiyotaka, he won't come back, just let him stay this one time?"

Ishimaru thought it over for almost a minute before he took the seat next to Chihiro. "I will allow it," he said.

"Well gee, don't I feel blessed," Mondo grumbled.

"Don't make me rethink my decision."

Mondo snorted and went back to his book. Ishimaru took a textbook and a notepad from his satchel and placed them on the table. There was silence for a few minutes before Mondo realised Ishimaru kept staring at him.

"What?" he spat. Ishimaru turned to Chihiro.

"I am surprised you are friends with someone like this, Fujisaki-kun."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mondo growled.

"You don't seem like the type who would convince someone to break them into university grounds just to read."

"What can I say? I like being around pretentious assholes."

"Are you mocking me?"

"Hey man, I never said _you_ were a pretentious asshole."

"You implied it!"

"You just assumed I was talking about you!"

"Excuse me,"

All three men glanced up to see the librarian stood by their table, a vicious scowl across her face. She reminded Mondo of a witch from a children's book.

"Please keep your voices down or I shall be forced to ask you to leave."

Ishimaru visibly tensed and nodded quickly. "Yes, we're terribly sorry, Miss Monomi," he said, bowing his head in shame, "we promise to settle down."

"Good," she said, eying the three up once more before she walked away, flat heels clicking on the wooden floor.

"Asshole," Mondo grumbled under his breath.

"Delinquent," Ishimaru spat in response.

"Please stop," Chihiro whimpered. Both men glanced to him and immediately faltered.

"Shit, sorry-"

"I'm sorry-"

"Just-" Chihiro placed down his pen, trying to even out his breathing. "Ishimaru, can you help me with this problem?"

Ishimaru nodded, his expression much softer than it had been previously. He was clearly disappointed at the use of his last name.

The three studied in uncomfortable silence for most of the day. Barring a few glares exchanged, Mondo and Ishimaru were relatively civil, though that may have been influenced by the terrifying librarian and the even more terrifying prospect of making Chihiro cry.

Eventually, Chihiro slowly got to his feet, muttering something about needing the bathroom before he scurried away. Once he was out of sight, Ishimaru turned to Mondo and took a deep breath.

"I would like to propose a temporary truce."

"-the hell does that mean?"

"A 'truce' is an agreement between enemies or opponents to stop fighting or arguing-"

"I know what a truce is," Mondo growled. Ishimaru didn't even flinch.

"Then you should understand why I am proposing one. For Fujisaki-kun's sake."

Mondo sighed and leaned back in his seat. "That sounds fair."

"So for Fujisaki-kun, we shall agree to avoid arguments at all costs."

"Fine by me."

Ishimaru extended his hand across the table. "Truce?"

"Truce." Mondo took it, briefly taking note of how satisfying the difference between their skin tones was. Not in a weird way, he told himself, just appreciating the colour contrast.

They shook hands and had returned to their own sides by the time Chihiro returned. He looked to Ishimaru, and then Mondo saying, "Where you two fighting while I was gone?"

"What? No-"

"Of course not-!"

"Right... Okay." Chihiro nodded. "That's good."


	3. Falling

_"I got into a fight today."_

 _"Again? You gotta stop doing this, you're gonna get your ass handed to you one day."_

 _"I can't let them get away with saying that shit!"_

 _"You don't have to defend me. Just take care of yourself."_

 _"But-"_

 _"No, Mondo. I don't want you getting hurt because of me."_

 _"Right... I'm sorry..."_

 _"Let them say whatever they want. Their opinions mean jack shit, yeah?"_

 _"..."_

 _"Come on. You look like you could use a hug."_

 _"... Yeah."_

* * *

"I'm sorry about yesterday."

Mondo shifted his phone between his shoulder and ear, frowning slightly at his words. He was currently picking through the remains of a Chinese takeout he'd picked up on the way home from work. The call time said he had been chatting with Chihiro for just over ten minutes.

"It's not your fault," he said, "we just butt heads a little too much I guess."

Chihiro hummed on the other end of the receiver. "He said the same thing... You guys really are similar."

"Except he's some fancy-pansy rich boy whose parents probably pay for everything."

Chihiro was quiet for a moment. "Actually, his family is pretty poor. I think his dad is a police officer but he never talks about his mother."

"Really? Could've fooled me."

"He works at a convenience store when he doesn't have lessons and then he comes back to finish off his extra credit... Always working. It's impossible to get him to sit down! But he still gets annoyed if I offer to pay for anything. I've told him it's no trouble, my parents don't mind sending me money, but..."

Seeing an opportunity to change the subject, Mondo asked, "How are your parents?"

"Same as always. Mum's off on another adventure. She's teaching in South Korea, sent us a postcard the other day but it got torn a little in the mail. She was asking about you the other day, actually."

"Tell her I said hi."

"Don't worry, I will."

There was a shuffling sound on the other end of the line as Chihiro crossed the room. A light thud indicated him dropping onto his bed.

"By the way, dad said that if you ever need to borrow money, he doesn't mind giving it to you. He'd rather you go to him than a loan shark or something... I mean, if it makes you feel any better, he offered the same thing to Ishimaru so he's not trying to baby you or anything."

"You sure you're dad's not the real loan shark here?"

"That might be his side business! No, dad's too nice to be a loan shark. He'd get someone in a situation like Kiyotaka and just give them the money without asking for it back."

Mondo took a second to finish off a piece of duck before he spoke, "You know, you talk about Ishi a lot."

"Huh?" Chihiro gave an awkward cough. "Oh, I'm sorry, I don't mean to, I just..."

"Nah it's fine. You usually sound happy whenever you bring him up though."

Chihiro squeaked on the other end of the line. "Don't say that, it's embarrassing!"

"What, do you have a crush on him or something?"

"S-Shut up!"

Mondo went quiet for a moment. Well, he certainly hadn't been expecting _that_.

"Wait, what? So you do have a-"

"Shush! S-So what if I do?! Don't judge me!"

He could almost picture Chihiro's face turning an adorable shade of red.

"Hey man," Mondo said, his voice suddenly much softer than he thought he was capable of, "it's no problem. Even if you do have a crush on mister stick-up-his-ass, I'm always here for you, ya know?"

"Yeah, I know..." Chihiro's voice was gentle, calming. "Thanks, it means a lot."

"I lo-"

Chihiro moved away from the receiver, calling out to someone else, then returned, "Kiyotaka's back so I'm gonna help set-up for dinner. We can meet up at the regular place on Thursday, right?"

"Yeah, sure, that's cool."

"Okay, I'll see you then! Bye!"

After what felt like an eternity of listening to the dial tone, Mondo dropped his phone on the table and stuffed his leftovers into the fridge.

He wasn't jealous. Not in the slightest. There was no way in hell anyone would ever reject someone like Chihiro so they were practically already together. He was happy for him. He wasn't mad. No, no, no-

Mondo violently shook his head and flopped onto his futon, covering his face with his hands and letting out a long, deep sigh.

Why the hell did he even care? So what if Chihiro had a crush on some stuck-up prick? Knowing Chihiro was happy was all he needed. So what if his smile was beautiful and his laugh was the most wonderful sound Mondo had ever heard? It wasn't like he wanted to hold him close and-

He quickly sat up. No, he certainly didn't think of Chihiro like that. That would be a complete betrayal of trust. He'd never be able to look him in the face again.

It wasn't like he had feelings for him-

Oh.

 _Oh no._

* * *

Like any logical person, Mondo decided the best response to the situation was to go out and get absolutely shitfaced.

There was a hotel rather close to his apartment that sold relatively cheap drinks in the bar so within half an hour he was slouched over the counter on his second beer, trying his best to keep his head down.

The hotel wasn't awful, but it wasn't on the fancy side either. Somewhere in the middle. It was clean and the atmosphere in the bar was nice enough so he had little to complain about.

"Mind if I sit here?"

Mondo glanced back at the source of the voice. A young woman with long blue hair and a bright pink dress stood there, a soft, delicate looking hand on the seat beside him. She was pretty, but in an unnatural way, almost like a doll.

"I'm not a doll, you know," she said with a smile.

"Huh? Sorry, did I say that out loud?"

She laughed. "No, I'm just psychic."

"What?"

"Just kidding!" She waved both hands frantically in front of her chest. "I just have really good intuition."

Mondo snorted and took a swig of beer.

"So, can I?"

"Yeah, knock yourself out."

She offered a wide grin as thanks and plopped into the seat. "You looked a little sad, so I felt like I should try to keep you company."

"You didn't have to."

"I wanted to. Besides..." She fussed with her hair. "I don't really feel like being alone tonight."

She ordered a cosmopolitan and took off her heels, pausing to rub her feet. She said her name was Sayaka and was apparently recovering from a recent breakup.

"He just said that we'd grown apart and that he liked someone else," she said as she finished her drink and ordered another, "He tried to be nice about it but..."

Mondo didn't want to be a complete ass and ignore her entirely, though he wasn't really that interested either, so he simply nodded along at the correct intervals.

"Hey," she said, turning to face him, "what about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"How did you end up here? If you don't mind me asking?"

"Where did your good intuition go?" he teased. She giggled. The sound reminded him of those air-headed personas many idol girls were forced to play.

"It gets fuzzy when I've had a few drinks."

Mondo finished his drink. "There's a guy who I like, known him for years, but he's not interested. He likes some other asshole. Same boat as you."

"That sucks."

"Yeah..."

Sayaka swirled her pointer finger around the rim of her empty glass. After a long pause, she asked, "Do you believe in fate?"

"Not particularly."

"Neither do I."

"Then why did you ask?"

"I was curious." Sayaka folded her hands in her lap. "What did you say your name was?"

"I didn't. It's Mondo."

"Well, Mondo-kun, would you like to sleep with me?"

"Excuse me?"

"I'm frustrated because my boyfriend found someone else, you're frustrated because your friend doesn't look at you the way you want them to... We might as well put that frustration to good use."

He coughed. "That sounds like the sort of thing you hear before you wake up in a bathtub with a kidney missing."

Sayaka laughed. "I suppose so."

"What the hell, if I lose one it can be a good conversation starter. Pretty cool scar as well."

They paid for their drinks, booked a room, and hopped into the elevator. They kept their distance the entire way up to the room, at least a metre between them at all times.

Even when they got to the room, Sayaka undressed in the en-suite while Mondo closed the curtains and made sure the door was locked before undressing himself.

"Got a few scars already. The kidney scar wouldn't be very noticeable," Sayaka said as she paced over and sat on the edge of the bed. Even though they were both stark-naked, the way she carried herself was so unfittingly casual for the situation.

"Yeah, but it'll be a big one. Way bigger than most of the others I've got."

They were quiet for a moment, Sayaka brushing her fingers through her hair in thought. "So, how are we gonna do this?"

"Well, I guess I can lie back and you can be on top if you want."

"That sounds fair. Just so long as you don't leave me to do all the work."

She climbed into his lap, shuffled awkwardly for a few seconds, furiously chewing at her lip.

"What's up?"

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, I'm not really into this," Sayaka said, "I keep having weird flashbacks and stuff."

"It's cool. I wasn't really feelin' it either."

"How come?" she asked, tilting her head to one side.

"Just got a lot on my mind."

She nodded, climbing onto the bed and flopping onto her back. "Can't fault you for that."

"Sorry," he said, propping the pillows up to lean against the headboard.

"Nah, it's okay. I think you'd be too big for me anyway."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

Sayaka laughed and pulled up the blankets to cover her chest. "Sorry to drag you all the way out here for nothing."

"Hey, if you're not into it, you're not into it."

They both stared up at the ceiling. A police siren blared past the window and faded into the distance. A couple could be heard arguing in the room next door.

Mondo glanced to the woman beside him, still bright eyed and wide-awake. She met his gaze and smiled. A friendly, business smile, like they had just settled on a price for a house.

"So, what are you gonna do about your ex?"

Sayaka let out a long, deep sigh. "I'm not sure. I guess I'll try to find someone else but..." She nibbled her bottom lip. "I might just take the opportunity to do something totally different. Go hiking for three months or something like that. Get away from it all, you know?"

"Good luck with that."

"Thanks." Sayaka folded her hands on her chest. "What are you gonna do about your friend?"

"I..." Mondo rubbed his face and let out a huff. "I have no idea."

She hummed. "The best thing you can do is be supportive, right? I mean, if it doesn't work out, you can always get the rebound."

"I guess..."

They were quiet for a long while. Mondo though she had fallen asleep when she spoke,

"What do we do now?"

He thought for a moment, then said, "Did you know that jellyfish can evaporate in the sun?"

Sayaka giggled. "No, I didn't. Where did you learn that?"

"Just a random fact, I guess," he said with a shrug.

"I would offer you one in return, but I don't really have any useless trivia like that."

"That's disappointing. I was hoping to learn something tonight."

Sayaka sat up suddenly, a look of glee on her face.

"We could always raid the mini fridge. The code is the same for all the rooms."

Before he could respond, she had already hopped off and was crouched in front of the fridge. "1-1-0-3-7," she muttered as she typed in the code.

"Don't you have to pay as soon as you open it?"

Sayaka grinned. "Don't worry, it's on me."

* * *

"Are you okay?"

Mondo looked up from his coffee and frowned. He and Chihiro were at their usual spot, in the corner by the window of their little café. The bitter drink was starting to grow on him and he couldn't bring himself to suggest any different hangouts.

"Huh? Yeah, fine... Just got a hangover..."

Chihiro frowned. "Really?" He sounded slightly disappointed, but offered a sympathetic smile. "We can go somewhere else if it'll make you feel better?"

"Nah, I'll be fine."

"Do you... do this often?"

"What?"

Chihiro shook his head and folded his hands in his lap. "Never mind."

After a moment, Mondo sighed. "Nah, this isn't a usual thing. Last time I had a hangover was month ago."

Chihiro seemed to brighten up at that. "Ah, okay, that's fair."

He swirled his teaspoon around his cup for a few seconds, staring at the empty space beside him.

"Maybe he should come with us next time."

"Who? Ishimaru?"

Chihiro nodded. "I honestly think you two would get along if you just got to know each other."

"Chi, I don't think he wants anything to do with me."

"No, I asked him this morning as he said he was fine with trying again."

Of course he was. He was probably doing it to make Mondo look bad if he said no. Was Mondo overthinking it? He couldn't truly pin Ishimaru's motivation like he could with most people. Was he prioritising Chihiro's feelings or his own ego?

"-but I'm worried, he's never been this distant about it before. Hey, are you still listening?"

Mondo suddenly jerked back to reality, staring blankly at Chihiro for a few seconds. "Urh..."

"So that's a 'no.'" Chihiro smiled sadly. "It's okay, I know I was rambling."

"Nah, I should've still been paying attention."

"But I understand why you weren't."

"Doesn't excuse it. Next time I zone out, you can slap me."

Chihiro's eyes widened as he frantically shook his head. "I would never do that!"

"But you'll fight the guys at your dorm?"

Chihiro suddenly went quiet, leaning back in his seat and staring at his hot chocolate. Mondo was about to speak when Chihiro started muttering.

"I can't hear you," Mondo said slowly. Chihiro blinked once, twice, then met his gaze.

"One of them beat him up the other day," he said quietly, "we stayed up late to patch him up. Mostly just bruises and stuff, but... I feel so useless."

"What do you mean?"

Chihiro wiped his face on his sleeve before tears could break through. "He puts on a brave face but he's suffering and I can't do anything to help him. It's horrible."

Pushing back his own distaste for the man, Mondo leaned across the table and took Chihiro's hand, squeezing it tightly. "You still stay with him in his dorm, don't you?"

Chihiro nodded.

"Then you're helping. He knows that even if he gets a load of crap during the day, he can go back to someone who'll listen to him bitch and not be bored shitless, ya know?"

"Maybe don't become a therapist any time soon."

Mondo gave him a look of mock-offense. "What? Are you saying my techniques don't work?"

"No, they work. They're a little informal though, don't you think?"

"But if they work, isn't that the main thing?"

Chihiro made a cute pout. "I guess you have a point there."

"Doctor Oowada is in the house," Mondo said, folding his hand on the table.

"Doctor Oowada should hand in his medical license."

"That was just cruel."

Chihiro choked on his drink. Before he could respond, a familiar voice at their side cut him off,

"Oowada? Is that you?"

It was Souda, still in his work clothes, complete with oil stains and the stench of petrol.

"Shit man, I knew it was you the second I walked in. Mind if I...?"

Mondo kicked the spare chair out and Souda nodded in thanks as he sat down.

"What are you doing here?" Mondo asked with a frown.

"I should be asking you that. Doesn't look like your kinda place."

Mondo rolled his eyes. "I asked you first."

"Yeah? Well I asked you second."

Seeing no point in arguing, Mondo gestured towards Chihiro, attempting not to sound too annoyed at Souda's sudden appearance.

"We come here pretty often."

As if taking his cue, Chihiro waved as Souda glanced in his direction. Chihiro's face suddenly scrunched up in thought. "Hey, were you ever on a computer science course at the nearby university?"

Souda nodded quickly. "Yeah! I dropped out, but I was on it for a while!" He grinned. "I thought I recognised you. Fujisaki, right?"

Chihiro beamed. "Yes! Was it... Souda?"

Before the two could delve much deeper into their reunion, Mondo spoke up, "Anyway, why are you here?"

Souda's ears went as pink as his hair. "Oh, urh, I'm actually waiting for someone..."

"Oh! For a meetup like me and Mondo?" Chihiro asked.

"I dunno..." Souda glanced at Mondo with a smirk, "Is it _that_ kind of meetup?"

"Depends," Mondo deadpanned, "are you meeting up with Tanaka?"

"M-Maybe! It's none of your business! A-Anyway-!" Souda shot to his feet, "I'm gonna go get a table!" As he scurried away, he added a high-pitched, "It was good to see you Fujisaki!"

Mondo slumped on the table, face down and arms hanging uselessly at his sides. He let out a long groan.

"Friend of your's?" Chihiro asked, tilting his head to one side like a kitten.

"You could say that..."

"Well I hope his date goes well."

Mondo rose an eyebrow. "It probably isn't actually a _date_ -"

"Well, yeah, but he wants it to be one. He's not being discreet, we can agree on that much," Chihiro giggled. Mondo tried not to turn pink. "Maybe the other guy just doesn't want to let him down..."

"Or maybe he's totally oblivious," Mondo suggested.

"There's always that. Though I think anyone would notice a crush _that_ obvious."

Mondo almost wanted to laugh.

Chihiro was quiet for a little while before he said,

"Maybe we should take a day trip together."

"What, like go out of town or something?"

"Yeah. You remember Asahina from high school, right?"

Mondo thought for a minute, then shook his head.

"She went to an all-girls school across town. Super nice, into swimming and stuff, has a girlfriend called Oogami."

"Oh yeah, I think I remember her. Don't think I ever actually talked to her, but saw you hanging out with her a few times."

"I told them about you a few times. Asahina said you seemed pretty nice and Oogami said you looked reliable." Chihiro smiled fondly at the memory. "Well, they live in Atami now."

"Never been."

"It's pretty nice. I've been meaning to visit them for a while now and..." He nervously played with the tablecloth, keeping his eyes down as he picked at the threads.

"You want me and Ishi to come with you?"

"I was just thinking..." Chihiro said, choosing his words carefully, "that maybe you'd... get along better in a less stressful environment? I mean, a school library you're not actually supposed to be in isn't the best place to meet someone new, right?" When Mondo didn't respond immediately, he quickly shook his head. "I-I mean, only if you want to! We can-"

"It's cool. Sounds fun."

"Really?" Mondo could see the stars in his eyes. "Thank you! I know you'd rather spend time with your other friends, but-"

"Honestly? I'd much rather spend the day with you than-" he gestured over to Souda, now sat at the opposite end of the café, "-him and his 'not' boyfriend."

"Are they really that bad?"

"Well, his boyfriend is pretty much furry with an occult fetish, so- Shit, I mean-! No, I'd love to spend the day with you- Wait, not like _that_ , I mean-"

Chihiro covered his mouth to stifle a snort. "It's okay, I got what you meant." He finished his drink and stretched out his legs. "So, you'll come?"

"Yeah... Yeah, that'd be really nice."


	4. Frenzy

Why the hell did he agree to this?

Mondo glared at his shrieking alarm clock and briefly considered throwing it out the window. Six am. Six o'clock in the goddamn morning. And the train he had to catch was at seven. How the fuck did anyone do this on a regular basis?

He stayed under the warmth of his blanket for much longer than necessary before he forced himself to get up. He got dressed, skipped breakfast, stuffed a towel under one arm, and headed over to the dorms.

They were, unsurprisingly, empty when he arrived. The front doors were locked and he had to text Chihiro for the security code.

Aside from the occasional distant chatter, the hallways were silent. Were they a little dirtier than last time? He wasn't sure.

"You're late," were the first words out of Ishimaru's mouth when he opened the door.

Mondo was seriously considering throttling the bastard with his towel when Chihiro appeared and saved his criminal record from getting a fresh new assault charge.

"But better late than never, right?" Chihiro appeared behind him, a tote bag slung over each shoulder, one for Ishimaru and one for himself. "Come on, we'll get there on time if we walk fast."

The brisk half-jog to the station consisted mostly of Mondo and Ishimaru glaring at each other while Chihiro tried, and failed, to lighten the mood.

"Oh, I almost forgot! Kiyotaka has bento boxes so we don't have to worry about sorting out lunch!" He said as they reached a crossing.

"Where the hell did you get those this early?" Mondo said with a scowl as he glanced over to Ishimaru.

A frown crossed his features. "What do you mean?"

"The lunches, where did you get them?"

"I made them this morning. I wasn't sure what everyone liked, but I went with salmon and-"

"Bullshit. There's no way you made those-"

"No, it's true!" Chihiro piped up, "Kiyotaka is a very good cook! He offered to make them and I couldn't stop him even if I tried!"

Ishimaru shot Mondo a tiny smirk that read 'See? I told you.' Mondo responded by shoving his hands in his pockets and grumbling.

Soon enough, the three found themselves trying not to pass out from heat stroke in a crowded train carriage heading for Atami. Mondo was eternally grateful that he was perched under an air conditioning vent, especially since he could see Ishimaru feebly fanning himself in the corner of his vision. It was the little things that kept him happy.

It was only now that he noticed how silly Ishimaru's dress sense was on a day like this. It looked as if it was the first time he had ever worn chinos, given how awkward and out of place he looked wearing them. Did this guy have _any_ casual clothes?

"We had to go buy Kiyotaka some swimming trunks since he didn't have any," Chihiro had mentioned earlier. Mondo honestly wasn't surprised.

Unfortunately, he couldn't enjoy Ishimaru's discomfort for much longer as the ride was over just as soon as it had begun.

As the three stepped off the train, Chihiro scanned the crowd for a brief few moments before his face lit up and he waved frantically for a few moments.

Following his line of sight, Mondo eventually noticed two young women. The shorter, who was waving as furiously as Chihiro, had tanned skin and a brown ponytail, wearing a tank top and shorts that left little to the imagination. She was certainly... well-endowed, to say the least. He tried not to stare.

The taller was built like a wall, looming over the rest of the group like a bird of prey. Her arms were folded across her chest thought despite the light scowl on her face, her eyes were shining, betraying her true glee at seeing an old friend. Her clothing was a tad more modest, but still more sensible then Ishimaru's, a rucksack over one shoulder.

The smaller woman ploughed into Chihiro, scooped him up into a painful-looking hug, span him around, then plonked him back down.

"It's been too long! It's so good to see you!"

Chihiro's laugh was soft, but genuine. "I'm sorry to spring this on you at such short notice."

She shook her head. "No problem! No problem at all! Me and Sakura were meaning to come over and visit you on your end at some point anyway. At least this way we don't have to worry about dashing back."

As if it had only just occurred to her, she finally turned to Mondo and Ishimaru. She gave the two remaining men a bright smile and held her hand out. Ishimaru shook it before Mondo could even reach for it, though he wasn't left out for too long.

"Hey there! I'm Aoi Asahina and this-" she stood to one side to show off the woman behind her, "is Sakura Oogami," she tapped her chin for a moment, as if lost in thought, "you guys are Ishimaru and Oowada, right?"

After their introductions, Asahina led them to the exit, chattering away with Chihiro at a brisk pace that Mondo and Ishimaru almost struggled to keep up with. Oogami lagged at the back, as if she was making sure neither of the men got lost.

After scaling a rock wall that Mondo did _not_ slip on, they arrived at a tiny beach, completely enclosed by rocks on each side. The water was clear, the sand was clean, and the sun was bright so there was little he couldn't find anything to complain about.

The beach was empty, except for a young couple sat around a rock pool. The woman with soft pink hair let out a squeal of laughter as the blonde man lifted a starfish from the water.

Oogami led them to a small shady corner of the beach and Chihiro spread out the towels, placing rocks on the corners to stop them from blowing away. Once they were set up, Asahina began removing her shirt. Ishimaru almost had a heart attack before he realised she was wearing her swimming costume underneath.

"If you guys want some more privacy, you can go behind the rocks over there," Asahina said as she shoved her shorts into the rucksack and fishing out some sun cream.

Ishimaru was already halfway towards the makeshift changing area, his ears bright red. Mondo fought back a laugh.

Chihiro removed his shorts and placed them in the bag, his trucks on underneath. After a moment of thought, he decided to leave his t-shirt on.

"Scared of getting burnt?" Asahina asked. Chihiro just shrugged.

"I guess."

Oogami looked as if she was about to speak when she was interrupted,

"Is everyone decent?" Ishimaru yelled from behind the rocks.

"Get out here, ya wimp!" Asahina shouted back.

After an eternity, Ishimaru re-emerged from the safety of the rock wall and returned to the group.

"Holy shit," was all Mondo could say. Ishimaru scowled.

"Language."

The guy was ripped! All the right muscle in all the right places, built for strength like Asahina rather than intimidation like Mondo. He would be lying if he said he wasn't looking for a little longer than necessary.

"Oowada, are you quite alright?" Oogami asked, "Your face is quite flustered."

"H-Huh? Yeah! I'm fine!" He said, covering his mouth with one hand. Oogami couldn't hide her smirk.

Once everyone was changed and set up, Asahina reached into the bottomless rucksack and yanked out a beach ball, inflated it with ease, then shot up to her feet and began dashing across the sand to the water.

"Last one in has to eat sand!"

Mondo and Ishimaru shared a look before sprinting down the beach.

The group were soon passing the ball back and forth in the chilly water. While it was fun, the ball was constantly swept away by the wind which, while great for exercise, wasn't particularly terrific for a party game.

Passing about the beach ball didn't last too long and a splashing contest soon ensued. Oogami was the clear winner, though Asahina thoroughly insisted that she only won because she was so much bigger than everyone else. Oogami merely chuckled.

Asahina and Oogami soon took off to swim in the deeper water, leaving the boys to have a breath-holding contest. Chihiro told them it was too close to call every time, but they refused to stop until there was a victor. Chihiro was forced to step in and take part himself, easily outlasting the other two with a grin on his face.

The water was _freezing_ , but Asahina's endless supply of energy and Mondo and Ishimaru's constant need to one-up each other was enough to distract them from the cold.

Once the sun was high in the sky, Oogami insisted that everyone should return to the safety of the shade. It was perfectly timed as everyone suddenly realised how hungry they were.

Ishimaru produced the bento boxes and handed them out. Asahina tore into her's without a second's thought as Oogami nodded in thanks.

"These are amazing!" Asahina exclaimed through a mouthful of tofu, "Where did you buy these, Fujisaki?"

Chihiro's eyebrows creased. "I didn't buy them, Ishimaru made them."

"Eh?!" Her eyes lit up with awe as she leaned across to place a hand on his knee, "You gotta teach me how to make these! I'm totally hopeless with cooking!"

A small smile crept over Oogami's face. "Your food is wonderful, Aoi."

Asahina let out an undignified snort. "I'm pretty sure if I made ice cream I'd end up burning it," she grumbled, pouting as she dug through her rice.

Ishimaru slowly raised a hand, as if he were still in class. "Is that even possible?"

"With me in the kitchen, anything is possible."

Chihiro stifled a giggle behind a mouthful of salmon. After he swallowed, he said, "Is that why you always eat out?"

After a brief pause, Asahina scowled. "Was that a dirty joke?"

He nodded as he fell into a fit of giggles

She went bright red and smacked Chihiro's forehead. "Not in front of your friends!"

Mondo snorted. "Whatever, man, we ain't gonna judge."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean it's appropriate..." she grumbled with a pout.

Ishimaru sat up suddenly, clearing his throat to get everyone's attention before he spoke, "I'm sorry, but are you two... together?"

Oogami smiled and placed an arm around Asahina. The smaller girl leaned into her side and planted a kiss on her nose.

"Yep!" Asahina beamed, "For six years this July!"

Chihiro sat back, staring up at the single white cloud in the sky. "Six years, huh? Wow..."

"Yeah, no kidding." Asahina plucked a piece of salmon from her bento. "Soon we're gonna be a pair of little old ladies talking about the good ol' days. It's kinda scary, actually."

Discussion continued to linger on the girls. As it turned out, Asahina worked as a PE teacher at the local middle school and was a swimming instructor on the side.

"I almost got accepted into the Olympics once, but I turned it down in the end."

Mondo tilted his head to one side. "Why didn't you go through with it?"

She thought for a moment. "I didn't feel like I'd enjoy it, I guess. I mean, I enjoy contests here because I know basically everyone involved. It's more fun to swim with people you know. Everyone swims to relax here but in a big competition like that..." she shrugged and went quiet.

Oogami ran a dojo a few miles north of Atami. Her family had owned it for over three-hundred years and she has recently taken it over from her father. She had taken part in many fighting tournaments over the years and was apparently on a four-hundred-match winning streak.

"So if either of you boys think of hurting our lil' Fujisaki, you'd better be ready to face off against the unbeatable Sakura Oogami!" Asahina declared as Chihiro hid his face behind his hands. Ishimaru tried to laugh it off.

"A-Aha, we wouldn't dream of hurting Fujisaki-kun-"

"Good," Oogami said, her voice level, though a dangerous edge made Ishimaru and Mondo shrink back slightly, "because I will not hold back."

Asahina giggled, but there was a look of murder in her eyes. She placed her empty bento beside her leg.

"Anyway, enough about us," she grinned at Mondo and Ishimaru as if she were planning to eat them alive, "what kinda stuff happens with you guys?"

Ishimaru shrugged, finishing off the last of his salmon drowning in soy sauce. "I lived with my father when I was younger, that's why I learnt how to cook. It was either that or allowing him to burn down the kitchen every evening."

Asahina giggled. "Or maybe he just really wanted you to learn early."

"That is a possibility," he chuckled, "Though I rarely see him these days. I am too busy studying. I am on a politics and international studies course at the same university Chihiro attends and hope to be involved with government somehow in the near future."

Asahina whistled. "Never heard of anyone who wanted to become a politician but hey, someone's gotta do it." She grinned. "If you ever run for Prime Minister, you've got my vote!"

Ishimaru froze up for a moment, but recovered quickly, "I don't think I would make it that far."

"Awh, don't be so hard on yourself! I'm sure you'd manage it if you tried it!"

"N-No, I mean- I wouldn't _want_ to."

Asahina was clearly curious, but before she could press further, Oogami placed a hand on her shoulder. The smaller girl sighed and let the subject drop.

"What about you, Oowada?"

Mondo shrugged, "I dropped out of high school, lived with my brother for a while."

"He allowed a high school dropout to live with him?" Ishimaru said, though from the look on his face, he didn't seem to realise he had said it aloud. When Mondo met his gaze, he realised his mistake. "I'm sorry, I didn't-"

Asahina quick piped up and attempted to defuse the situation. "Um, Oowada! Where's your brother now?"

Mondo stiffened instantly, clenching his jaw and breathing more heavily as his chest tightened painfully. He looked away, tightening and loosening his fists uselessly at his sides.

Asahina glanced to Chihiro helplessly and he fiddled with the hem of his shirt.

"His brother is dead," he murmured quietly.

The silence was heavy, almost painful. Asahina covered her mouth and a look of pity crossed Oogami's face as she drew a cross over her chest.

Ishimaru couldn't even breathe. He was completely silent, staring at Mondo like some bizarre creature undiscovered by science, mouth opening and closing helplessly as he tried to form words but to no avail. Chihiro recovered first, slipping his smaller hand into Mondo's and squeezing it tightly.

Once his nerves had finally settled, Mondo spoke once more, "Whatever. That's all said 'n' done. Nothing you can do about it." He paused for a second, taking a deep, settling breath. "Now I make furniture and shit."

Asahina perked up, seeing an opportunity to lighten the mood. "Hey, could you possibly maybe make us a new table? Our old one kinda... fell apart."

"How did it, um..." Chihiro tilted his head to the side, "'fall apart?'"

"We, um, put too much weight on it and it went **SNAP!** " Asahina slammed her palm on the sand to illustrate her point.

"But what did you put on the table to make it break?" Ishimaru asked slowly.

Asahina shared a look with Oogami before going bright red. "U-Um, well, that's-"

"Hey, Ishi," Mondo said, pushing himself to his feet, "the water's lookin' pretty good, fancy a dip?"

Before Ishimaru could respond, he was tossed carelessly over Mondo's shoulder like a sack of flour and being hauled away to the water's edge.

"Oowada! This is unreasonable! We just ate-" But no amount of yelling and flailing could stop him from being delivered to the icy water.

* * *

It was only when the sun was starting to set that they packed up and set off back to the station.

"You'll have to bring these two again sometime!" Asahina said, "We totally have do an arm wrestling contest next time, you guys are pretty well-built, you could probably hold your own."

Mondo laughed. "I don't think I'd wanna go up against Oogami. She'd pound me into dust."

"You were... checking us out?" Ishimaru asked, sounding absolutely horrified.

"You _wish_!" Asahina laughed.

They shared one last laugh before they arrived at the station. Asahina hugged Chihiro as a goodbye before the three men hopped on the train. When it pulled away, she dashed along at the side, yelling something that couldn't be understood behind the glass.

As the three settled in for the long ride back, Ishimaru started to speak,

"Can I tell you both something?"

Chihiro frowned. "Sure, go ahead."

"I... I've never been to the beach before. That was the first time I've ever..."

Mondo folded his arms and leaned back in his seat. "But was it good?"

"Excuse me?"

"Did ya have fun?"

Ishimaru looked down at his hands, folded neatly in his lap. "I... suppose I did." He smiled. A genuine, warm smile that lit up his face and made him look like a completely different person. It was infectious as Mondo found his lips twitching upwards as well.

"Good, then we'll have to go again sometime."

A little squeal had them both glancing to the smaller boy sat between them. Chihiro giddily looked up at the two, a wide grin on this face.

"Are you two getting along?"

"What-?"

"Of course not-!"

Chihiro burst into a fit of giggles, soon followed by Ishimaru, and Mondo wasn't immune for much longer. He laughed like he hadn't laughed in years; a heavy, hearty laugh that came from deep in his stomach. He laughed until his jaw ached from so much smiling and his lungs forced him to stop. And then he laughed some more.

* * *

Ishimaru became slightly more tolerable after that evening on the train. Mondo didn't find himself feeling physically ill whenever he saw him which was always a plus. He didn't often join Mondo and Chihiro for their café meetups, but when he did Mondo still found himself enjoying the newcomer's company.

Ishimaru was, bizarrely enough, not the most annoying person Mondo had ever met. Not even close considering Kuwata was still in his phone contacts. While Ishimaru certainly had his annoying moments, there was a passion behind his every move that somehow drew Mondo closer, intrigued and awe-inspired, like a child watching a magic trick.

Whenever Ishimaru joined them, he and Chihiro would sometimes split off into their own conversation, though Mondo didn't mind. It gave him a chance to watch and appreciate the little things. Like the way Chihiro would snort when he laughed or the way Ishimaru's eyebrows furrowed when he was deep in thought.

They came over to his apartment once. Chihiro had flicked through the TV channels until they found a cheap game show they had gotten intensely involved in. They ended up getting a noise complaint from next door, but they were too wrapped up with the game to lower their volume by much.

Ishimaru had offered to make dinner but Mondo refused, mostly so they wouldn't see how empty his cupboards were. When his rice cooker wouldn't switch on, they settled for takeout. Ishimaru had accidentally ordered the spiciest thing on the menu and he had to eat part of Chihiro's instead.

Everything was progressing smoothly. Summer was slowly transforming into autumn, work was as normal as it always was, the days went by at a regular, comfortable pace.

But he was still on edge. He's been here before, happily settled, everything seemingly going his way. He knew what came next and he was dreading it. Everything had to take a nosedive eventually.

"Oowada, are you okay?"

He jerked back to reality, where everything was still going well, undisturbed by his own inner thoughts. He was in their dorm, sat across from Chihiro and next to Ishimaru, the final corner of the table taken up by a laptop playing the news. The only TV in the dormitory was the one in the lobby, currently taken up by a baseball game. Summer was long gone by now, the early October chill working its way through the poorly insulated windows.

"Yeah, fine."

"Are you sure?" Ishimaru asked with a frown. Mondo just shrugged.

The announcer continued her weather report, unperturbed, a bright, showbiz smile on her face. Mondo tried to pay attention, but he couldn't force himself to be interested in humidity percentages.

"Hang on, I have an idea." Chihiro pushed up to his feet, padding over to the kitchen area.

"Please don't try to cook anything," Ishimaru said in a warning tone.

"Does using the kettle count?"

Ishimaru pondered it for a moment. "I suppose not. Continue."

He retrieved the appliance and headed over to the sink. "Who wants to bet the water's gonna be yellow when it comes out?" Chihiro said with a grin as his hand hovered over the tap.

"Has it seriously come out like that before?" Mondo sounded genuinely concerned. Chihiro just laughed.

"No, but wouldn't it be funny if it did?"

"It would not be funny!" Ishimaru exclaimed, his face going slightly pink. Mondo had learnt quite quickly that it didn't take much for him to get flustered. "We would have to go to the dormitory manager and he rarely takes complaints seriously!"

There was a snort from Chihiro. "I guess, but we could always make him drink it!"

"That would be disgusting! Not to mention potentially hazardous to his health! You should really know better, it is-"

As Ishimaru continued his rambling, Chihiro filled the kettle and left it to boil. He opened one of the cupboards then pushed himself up onto the countertop to reach the mugs from the highest shelf.

"Hey, Kiyotaka, where did the tea go?"

Ishimaru was finally pulled from his speech to notice Chihiro's position and shot to his feet, fussing and ranting about how dangerous it was and the potential risks related to such behaviour. Seeing no easy way to escape his fate, Chihiro could do nothing but allow himself to be lectured until Ishimaru retrieved a pot from the upper shelves and handed it to him.

After some needlessly complicated messing about, the tea was made and sat in front of them. Chihiro had put on a foreign crime drama for English practise, though they left subtitles on for Mondo's sake.

"It is very clearly the wife," Ishimaru said with a huff.

"No way, that would be too obvious! I bet it's the maid!" Chihiro yelped.

"You sure it's not the detective?" Mondo asked. Ishimaru shook his head.

"Making the detective the killer is a cheap cop-out because the viewer is supposed to know everything the main character knows."

The episode ended on a cliff-hanger, but before Chihiro could look for the next one, Ishimaru stopped him.

"It's getting quite late. Oowada will have to leave soon."

Chihiro frowned and glanced to the time on his laptop. "It's only half ten-"

"Yes, but we must be in bed and asleep by half-past! Watching another episode would take us to twelve!"

"But I don't see why Mondo has to leave." Chihiro looked to Mondo. "Do you wanna leave?"

"Not really."

"So he can stay here tonight!"

Ishimaru shook his head. "Non-residents are not permitted to stay in the dorms overnight..." Before Chihiro could respond, he smiled. "However, it is a foolish rule, so I have decided to ignore it for the evening."

"Really?!" Chihiro launched himself at Ishimaru and crushed him in a hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Chi- Ah! But he must be gone by eight if he is to get to work on time!"

"Right, right, he'll be up and out by half seven if it bugs you _that_ much!"

"W-Well-" Ishimaru stared at his teacup. "I don't really mind..."

Before Chihiro could comment on his suspiciously red ears, he cleared his throat.

"Um, what shall we do for the rest of the evening?" He didn't seem to realise he was shouting.

After a moment, Chihiro squealed, "We could play the King's Game! I haven't played it in _forever_!"

Ishimaru looked rather bewildered. "I... have never played it, you will have to explain the rules," he admitted.

"Basically, each round we all pick a chopstick and whoever gets the special one is the king and they can order one other person to do something." Mondo shifted from his heels to a cross-legged position.

"Ah, that sounds as if it would escalate quite quickly," Ishimaru said slowly.

"Exactly! That's the fun of it!" Chihiro grinned. "We'll just take turns. Kiyotaka can go first since it's his first time."

"Excuse me?"

Chihiro smiled. "It's okay. Just order one of us to do something."

"Right, okay..." Ishimaru scratched his chin, took a sip of tea, then glanced to Chihiro. "Um, how do I tell someone to do something?"

"You say, 'the king orders you to' and then whatever you want them to do," Mondo explained. Ishimaru nodded.

"I get it!" He sat up straighter and pointed to Mondo. "The king orders you to touch the ceiling!"

There was a pause.

"Seriously? That's it?" Chihiro deadpanned. "That's boring..."

Ishimaru went slightly pink. "Well, what sort of thing am I supposed to say?"

"Why don't I go first so he can get a better idea of what to do?" Mondo offered.

"Yes! That would be a better approach!" Ishimaru said with a nod and dorky grin.

Mondo sat back and considered his demand for a slid minute before he looked up with a smirk.

"Chihiro, the king orders you to sit in Ishi's lap."

Mondo wished he had a camera to capture the moment Chihiro's entire face turned a bright shade of red. "That seems a little, um..."

"You know Chi, there's nothing wrong with refusing..."

Chihiro immediately rose to his feet, rounded the table, and dropped into Ishimaru's lap, sat sideways with his arms wrapped around the other's neck. He smirked at Mondo, oblivious to how flustered Ishimaru was growing.

"Is that good enough for you?"

Mondo narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, that's fine..." He muttered as he took a large gulp from his tea.

"Alright, my turn!" Chihiro hugged Ishimaru tighter as he thought. "Mondo! I order you to... give Ishimaru a smooch!"

Mondo almost choked. "W-What?"

"With tongue. For... ten seconds!"

Evil. Chihiro Fujisaki was pure evil.

"The king's word is absolute!" he sang, nuzzling into Ishimaru's shoulder. Mondo huffed. He was feeling light headed already.

"Alright, fine. Ishi, c'mon."

"R-Right!"

Ishimaru looked petrified, but he adjusted his position to allow Mondo to sit in front of him. Then they... did nothing. They did nothing but stare at each other for a full minute before Chihiro started shifting with impatience in Ishimaru's lap.

"King's word-"

"Is absolute, yeah, yeah, we get it..." Mondo grumbled.

He turned back to Ishimaru and, before he could reconsider, took his chin and kissed him, hard, tongue pushing forward with only a moment of hesitation. Ishimaru squeaked in shock, every muscle tense as if he was ready to bolt at a moment's notice.

Mondo tried to fill his head with anything that could possibly distract him from the sensation. Not because it was unpleasant, but for the complete opposite reason. Part of him wanted to retch, but it was overpowered by the bizarre desire for more.

He was mentally counting the seconds and had made it to six before he felt a small hand pushing at his chest. He opened his eyes and pulled away, taking a few seconds to process the situation before a heavy feeling of dread settled in his stomach.

Ishimaru was _crying_.

"Shit, I'm sorry- Fuck-"

"Kiyotaka-?!"

Chihiro had moved from his lap, now sat directly in front of him and holding both of his hands. Panic was embedded into Chihiro's features, eyes wide with mania.

A few seconds later, Ishimaru opened his eyes. He looked lost, as if he had only just woken up. He blinked once, twice, then met Chihiro's worried eyes.

"He... He stopped?" Ishimaru asked slowly.

Chihiro looked distraught. "Well, yeah! You were crying! I knew it was too much but I went and said it anyway." Chihiro took a handkerchief from his pocket and offered it up as a meek apology. "I'm sorry!"

"What?" Ishimaru reached up and wiped his damp eyes, staring at the moisture on his fingers as if it were some alien substance. "Oh. Yes. I am sorry."

"Why the heck are you apologising? I should be the one-"

Ishimaru sighed and placed his hand on Chihiro's head, threading the soft hair between his fingers. "It's fine. I'm okay," he said with a smile.

"But-" Mondo tried to speak, but Ishimaru shook his head.

"I just get a little... overwhelmed sometimes. It all happened quite fast and I suppose I couldn't keep up..."

Chihiro sniffed. "So you're... okay?"

"Yes! I am completely fine!" He spoke as if Chihiro has just bumped into him. He turned his attention to Mondo with playful glee in his eyes. "Though I would prefer more warning next time, Mondo."

"Yeah, right, sorry- Wait, what did you just call me?"

"Well, it would make sense for us to be on a first name basis since your tongue has been inside me."

Mondo went bright red. "What the hell, man?! Don't say it like that! It makes it sound way worse than it actually was!"

Ishimaru frowned. "What would you prefer?"

"I don't know, anything but that!"

* * *

It didn't take long for Ishimaru to fall asleep. Mondo wouldn't be surprised if Chihiro told him he was a robot, given how he seemed to doze off at exactly eleven pm. With some difficulty, they lifted him to his bunk and pulled the blankets over him. Chihiro set up some cushions and spare blankets on the floor as a makeshift futon for Mondo before he pulled his pyjamas from under his pillow and ordered Mondo to face the other direction as he changed.

They turned off the lights and settled down with the intention of sleeping, but soon enough Mondo felt Chihiro prod his side with his foot.

"Hey, you asleep yet?"

"It's been, like, five minutes, man."

"You might fall asleep fast, I dunno..."

Mondo could only just see his outline in the darkness as he rolled over to face Chihiro.

"What's up?" he asked.

"I was just thinking, you still know how to fight, right?" Chihiro whispered.

"Well, yeah, but I'm kinda rusty."

"Could you help me teach Kiyotaka?"

"Huh? Yeah, sure. Why do you ask?"

"I just..." Chihiro sighed. "Maybe it would help if he could suplex some of those guys who try to mess with him, ya know?"

Mondo snorted. "That's fair. Sure, we can try if you want."

"What are you two talking about?"

Both glanced up to the source of the voice. Ishimaru was leaning over the side of his bunk. Even in the dark, Mondo could picture his expression; a slight scowl with one eyebrow raised.

"We were talking about how Mondo's gonna use your first name from now on," Chihiro said before Mondo could even consider a response.

"Can't you do that in the morning?"

"We wanted it to be a surprise."

Mondo was unsure if Ishimaru was convinced, but his shape disappeared back to his bunk.

"Very well... Goodnight, Chihiro, Mondo."

"Sleep tight. Don't let the bedbugs bite," Chihiro said with a drowsy giggle as he settled down.

"'Night, losers." Mondo didn't hear Ishimaru's response as he rolled onto his back and closed his eyes, drifting off in only a few minutes.


End file.
